Coating process



May 14, 1929. 5 1,713,233

' COATING PROCESS Original Filed March 12, 192;: 3 Sheets-Sheet l (ium May 14, 1929. P. J. KELLEY 1,713,233

COATING PROCESS Original Filed March 12, 1925 S SheetS-Sheet 2 fzygmmlioz y 1929. P. J. KELLEY 1,713,233

' COATING PROCESS Original Filed March 12, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 75 i 1 Q l I I v 7 7 Patented May 14, 1929.

UNITED STATES [PATENT OFFICE. v

PATRICK J. KELLEY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A COBIOBATION' OF NEW JERSEY.

' COATING PROCESS.

Original application filed March 12, 1925, Serial No.

14,989. Divided and this application filed September 23, 1925. Serial No. 58,071.

My ,invention relates to a process for coating castings with a thin anduniform layer of metal such as zine, tin, etc.

The objects-of my invention are to provide a process by means of which a quantity of castings maybe coated at a time and with a uniform coating of metal, and in which all excess metal is removed from the castings, giving them a smooth and attractive appearance, and to secure these results with economy and small efi'ort. upon the art of the operator.

T is application is a division of my copending application Serial Number 14,989,

filed March 12, 1925.

In the drawings: at.

.Fig. 1 is a side view in' pa rtial section of my invention shown as mounted upon a pedestal. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my invention .as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side plan view of my invention, but showing the opposite side fromthat shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an end view of, my invention looking toward the right hand end of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detailed view of a part of the operating mechanism and 6 is a vsec tion of the same on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are various enlarged views of the casting container.

11 shows a view in partial section taken on the vertical line 1111 of Fig. 3 for the purpose of showing those parts which relate to the horizontal bed and its pivotal mounting upon the pedestal 2. p

In carrying out my process I provide a furnace represented by the numeral 1, which may be of the usual type, consisting of a steel or iron tank mounted within the furna'ce walls and havin an open top and which is heated by solid, gaseous or liquid fuel. My furnace is not necessarily of any special construction so long as it is possible for access to the molten zinc within by the casting container later described. I mount my invention upon a able sort adjacent to t e tank 1 so that the casting container will be mounted overthe molten bath. In Fig.1 I have shown my in vention as mounted upon the brick pedestal 2. Upon the pedesta "2;;is a base casting 3 secured thereto by the bolts 4. The base edestal of any suitcasting is formed with a central hollow boss 5 in which is mounted a pivotal member 6 which is free to be rotated about a vertical axis. The upper ortion of the'pivotal member 6 is formed with a boss ada ted to fit between the lugs 7, shown in ig. 5, and the pivotal member is provided with a. transverse hole in the lugs 7 also to receive the pin 8 by means of which the lugs 7 are secured to the pivotal member 6 such that the lugs may pivot in a vertical plane about the horizontal axis of the pin 8. The

employed also, but whichI do not show as it is merely confusing.

It will be appreciated that thus far I have formed a bed upon which to build my invention and which bed is pivotal in both a horizontal and vertical direction. The pin 8 is made stationary with the pivotal member 6 and upon the end of the member 8 is rigidly mounted a catch plate 14- provided with a plurality of notches 15.

To the under side of the channels 10 are two transversely disposed angle members 16 and through these angle members project a rod 17 which is movable longitudinally and held in an advanced position by the spring 19. The right hand end of the rod 17 is turned downward to form a handle 20 and the opposite end is securedto a movable link 21 pivoted to the channel 10 to act as a sup port and is also provided with a tooth 22 ada to engage the notches 15 in the catc plate. It will be observed from Fi ed with two notches '15 and the lower one when engaged by the tooth 22 will hold the machine. bed in, a substantially horizontal position and when the upper notch is' enaged by the tooth 22' the machine will be field in an oblique position, as indicated by 1 that Ihave shown the catch plate provi A the line A-A, which represents the longitudinal axis of the machine when it has been lowshaft 26. Upon the right hand end of the shaft 26 is rigidly mounted a bevel gear 27 and mounted upon the left hand end is thecasting container 28. The container 28 is so mounted upon the shaft 26 that the shaft extends through the container and the container is secured to the shaft by means of the flange 29 which may be secured to the container by means of the bolts 30, and secured to the shaft in any suitable manner as by means of a key 30' and set screw or a set screw alone. I,

'Mounted upon the transverse shaft 31' secured to the channels 10 is a beveled pinion 32 which meshes with the bevel gear 27. On each end of the shaft 31 ismounted a pulley 33 and 34 respectively and the members 31, 32, 33 and 34 rotate simultaneously and in the same direction. The pulleys 33 ,and 34 are adapted to receive a belt'35 and 36 respectively. Upon the frame composed of the channels 10 and at the oposite end from the casting container 28 is mounted an electric motor 37 or other souree'of power for operating the apparatus. The belt 36 I show as connected directly to the pulley 38 onthe motor, but the belt 35 is connected to the motor through the medium of gearing so as to ive the shaft'31 a materially reduced speec when driven by the belt 35 as compared with its speed when driven by the belt 36. The gears are shown as 39, 40 and 41, the latter being connected to the pulley 42 to which the belt 35 is directly connected. Transverselydisposed with respect to the frame is a cross shaft 43and secured thereto is an'o crating lever 44. To the lever 44 is ivote a pulley 45 to engage the belt 36 w on the. lever is moved up wardly and, therefore, acts as a belt tightener for the belt 36. Secured to the shaft 43 at the other side of the frame is a lever 46 to which is secured a pulley 47 which engages with the belt 35 and when in enga ement therewith acts as a belt tightener or the belt 35. From this, it will be recognized that the belts 35 and 36 normally are loose belts and when the lever 44 is in a middle position the pulleys 45 and 47 will be out of engagement with the belts and themotor is free to rotate without rotation of the cross shaft 31, therefore, if the operator wishes to rotate the casting container 28 at a slow speed he. moves the. operating handle 44 downward, and if he wishes to operate at a prefer to have this submersion for a considerable length of time, I provide a rack 48, shown in Fig. 5, with a plurality of teeth 49 such that the handle 44 when in a downward position, in which position the casting container 29 rotates slowly, will engage with the teeth 49 and be held in a downward position, thus relieving the operator.

It is desirable to hold the casting eontainer 28 in a{ certain position while loading castings therein and in another position when dumping the castings, therefore, in order to not only hold the container in a predetermined position, but to stop it quickly and as near such position as possible, I provide a brake which will engage the pulley 33 when the handle 44 is in mid position and in which position both belts are loose. The brake referred to comprises a brake arm 50 pivoted at 51 and having a shoe 52 to engage the pulley 33. Mounted longitudinally upon the frame in suitable bearings is a shaft 53 provided with an upright member 54 and 55 at its respective ends and rigidly secured to the shaft 53. To the upper end of the member 54 is a transverse member 56 which connects with the brake arm 50 and is pivotally connected to the brake arm and to the member 54. The member 55 is positioned adjacent the bracket 48 and is shown in Fig. 5 by the dotted lines. \Vhen the operating handle 44 reaches mid position it is possible to move it sideways and to the right, as shown in Fig. 5, into the slot 57 and as it is moved to the right it will engage the upper end of the member 55 and move it to the right. When this takes place the shaft 53 is rotated and the upper end of the member 54 is moved to the right and with it the transverse rod 56 thereby moving the brake beam 50 about its pivotal point 51 and the brake shoe 52 will be moved into engagement with the pulley 33.

Secured to the end of the channel iron frame is a cross bar 58.and projecting. from this is a handle 59 used in pivotingthe device about its horizontal and vertical pivotal axes.

Mounted upon the cross member 58 and in pivotal relation thereto is a depending handle'60. 'Rigidly mounted upon the member 58 is-a member 61 provided with teeth 62 along its lower edge and adapted to be engagedby a holding latch 63 connected'to the pivotally mounted lever 64. The lever is held in such a position that the latch'63 would be normally in engagement with the teeth 62 by means of the spring 65., From this arrangement it will be seen that the lever 60 may be moved in a longitudinal direction with respect to the machine and held in a predetermined position. Pivotally secured to the lever 60 is a lon itudinall' disposed rod 66 and which extends throug the hollow shaft 26 and projects beyond its extreme end and beyond the end of the casting container 28. The end of the rod 66 is provided with two adjusting nuts 67 which are adapted to engage the lever 68 pivotally positioned upon the casting container 28. The lever 68 has a passage therethrough to receive the end of the. rod 66 and when the handle 60 is moved forward or backward the lever 68 is also moved forward or backward.

The casting container 28 I have shown as comprising the end members 69 and 70. These end members may be round, square, hexagonal or other shapes as desired. Secured to these end members in such a way as to form an enclosure are the sides 71,

72 and 73. The ends and the sides may be secured together either by riveting or welding, both methods of which are well known in the art. The members 71 and 73 are shown as provided with hinges 74 and to these hinges are secured covers 75 and 76 which in turn are provided with hinges 77. The side 73 is shown as provided with latches 78. Longitudinally mounteduponthe cover 76 is a slidable bar 79 which is held in position by the straps 80' secured to the cover 76 either by welding or riveting. The slidable bar 79 is provided with tongues 81 which engage with openings through the latches 78 so that when the covers are in closed position and the slidable bar 79 moved so that the latches 81 engage with the latches 78 the covers will be held in a closed position.

In order to operate the movable bar 79, the bar 68 is pivotally secured to the end member 69 as shown in 7, and the bar 68. also passes through an opening in the bar 7 9 such that when the bar'68 is moved about its pivotal oint the bar 79 will be moved forward ant backward and engage and disengage with the latches 78 on the cover 75. The member 68 is operated, as already explained, through the medium of the rod 66 which connects with the lever 60.

If the casting container 28 when rotating is brought to rest with the covers 75 and 76 in a downward position and the lever 60 is operated so as to disengag the members 81 from the members 78, then the covers will open, as shown in Fig. 9, by gravity and any castings contained therein will be free to drop out.

When it is desired to loadthe casting container 28 the position of the container willbe reversed from that shown in Fig. 9 and the QOVQXS thrown back and the castings loaded within the container and the covers will then be closed and the lever 60 operated to lock the covers in their closed position.

It will be noted that the sides and ends of the container 28 are perforated so as to allow free access of the molten metal to the interior of the container.

In the use of my invention, it is mounted so that the container may be moved downwardly about the pivotal points until the container and articles therein are immersed within the tank of molten zinc, tin or other metal or material desired. The container is first filled with castings to be coated and the covers closed, as already described. The motor 37 may be in operation as it is not necessary to stop the motor in loading and unloading the container 28. When the consumes an oblique angle and may coincide substantially with the line A-A. The op erator then moves the handle 44 downward which will bring the pulley 47 into engagement with the belt 35 thereby tightening the same and as the motor is operating the pulley 42 will be operated and the pulley 33 will be caused to rotate which in' turn will rotate the beveled gears 27 and 32 and simultaneously therewith the shaft 26 and the container 28 at the slower speed. After the castings have rotated in the metal bath for a predetermined length of time and until the castings and bath are at the same temperature, the operator then disengages the device from its locked oblique position and raises the container until it leaves the bath.

or its axis assumes a horizontal position and then moves the lever 44 to its upper position which relieves the pressure on the belt 35 and tightens the belt 36 thereby causing the container 28 to operate at a higher speed, which permits the excess molten metal to be thrown 01? by centrifugal force. In order to change the position of the castings within the container while removing the excess zinc, which is desirable in order that they may be better relieved of the excess metal, and especially where castings having hollow places are involved, it is desirable to stop the rotation of the member 28 or to slow down the speed so that the castings may change their position, and this is done by the operation of the member 44 to either its central position and the brake applied, or to its lower position where the s eed is reduced and the castings tumbled a out in the container, and then the handle is brought up so as to give to the container 28 a high speed. This operation of alternately changing the position of the castingsand rotating under high speed can be repeated a number of times thereby thoroughly cleaning the castings, both inside and out, of excess metal.

When such cleaning operation has been completed the machine is swung around with the container 28 over a receptacle and the machine stopped with the covers 75 and 76 in a downward position, and then the lever 60 operated to permit the opening of the covers, as already described, "or should the container be brought to rest over a receptacle with the covers at an upper position,

'then a slight operation of the handle 14: to

transmit motion to the conainer 28 will cause the container to open when the covers have reached a lower position.

Having emptied the container, it is again rotated so that the covers 75 and 76 will be in an upward position and the covers are then thrown back and the container loaded with castings, the covers closed and the lever 60 operated to lock the covers closed and the operation of submerging the container in the molten bath is repeated.

If desired, a small amount of sal ammoniac salts or other flux may be thrown into the container, together with castings, and I find that flux applied'in this manner is very uniformly distributed over the surface of the castings and has a most beneficial effect.

If desired, the higher speed mechanism may be omitted and the castings cleaned of surplus metal by tumbling about in the container at the slower speed which keeps the castings constantly tumbling about in the container and the excess metal will be re moved by drip and the jarring action and such tumbling is sometimes preferable to a centrifugal speed as at such speed the articles may not change position and hence freeze together or if cuppedthe excess metal may remain within the recess.

The speed of the container while immersed in the coating bath should not be sogreat as to prevent the coating metal from entering the container through the perforations or other openlngs and maintain a level as great or nearly as great as the metal outside of the container. This is advisable so that the coating material may be assured to contact for the greatest possible time with all parts of the articles to be coated and hence produce an adhering coating which gives reliabilit and uniformity. If the container is of the perforated type and the speed is too great there will be, of course, a tendency to prevent the metal from freely entering the container.

It will be readily understood that with the axis of the container obliquely disposed, that as the container rotates the castings therein will not onlybe bunched together but will be raised to a certain point and then they will fall downward and this cycle of operation will be continued as long as the container rotates, and this relative change of position of the castings within the container tends to reliability in the coating of the product and assures a more uniform coating than though the articles maintained a fixed relative position to each other while submerged in the coating tank. It is also evident that the tumbling of the castings'while being rotated Within the bath may also be brought about by having the axis of the container in a horizontal position, but if the axis of the container is in a vertical position then the castings, as the container rotates, will not change their relative position regardless of how slowly the container is rotated. By tumbling the castings, after the container is removed from the bath, about a substantially horizontal axis, the castings may spread out within the container and hence the tumbling action may be greater and the surplus metal removed.

quicker.

\Vhen the excess metal has been removed from the articles they may still have a coating in a somewhat softened condition and I find that it is advisable to open the container above a tank containing hot water, or other desirable fluid, which will quench the articles as they fall from the container and thus set the coating.

There is an advantage in removing the excess coating ivhile the container rotates about a horizontal or substantially horizontal axis, in that, if thecontainer rotates at a speed to produce centrifugal action upon the coating the'n there is also a possibility of the castings changing their relative position at such speed if not too great and hence prevent the articles.freezing or the excess metal collecting or remaining in any depressions. The rotation of the container may be continuous throughout the process if desired.

There are, of course, many modifications which one skilled in the art will readily see in a process of this sort, but I do not wish to be limited other than by my claims.

I claim:

1. The method of coating articles with metal comprising the placing of the articles loosely in a container with a dry flux, then rotating the container and tumbling the articles therein to distribute the flux over the articles, then submerging the still rotat ing articles in a hot bath of coating-material and rotating the articles and flux'within the bath until the articles are coated and then removing while still rotating from the bath and removing the surplus coating metal by continued rotation.

2. The method of coating articles comprising the placing of the articles in a container, positioning the container to-rotate about an oblique axis, immersing the container and articles in a bath of the coatingmaterial and rotating the container and articles about in the bath, removing the articles and container from the bath and rotatin to remove the excess coating material and t en dumping the articles into a quenching bath.

3. The process of coating articles in a container with a metal coating without removing the articles from the container during the process comprising the steps of placing the articles loosely in container, then rotating the container about an oblique axis while immersed in a bath of coating-metal, then removing the container and articles from the bath while still rotating and continuing the rotation about a horizontal axis after the articles and container are out of the bath to remove excess metal.

4. The process of coating articles comprising the steps of placing the articles in a container, then immersing the container and articles in a coating bath, then raising and dripping the articles relative to each other'and'to the container by rotating the container about its axis disposed at oneangle, then removing the container from. the bath and rotating the container about its axis but disposed at a diiferent angle from that first used.

5. The process of coating articles comprising the steps of immersing a container and articles therein in a bath of coatingmaterial,

then tumbling the articles about in a con tainer while immersed in the bath of coating materialby rotating'the container about an oblique axis, then removing the container and articles from the bath and tumbling the articles therein until the excess coating material has been removed, the ste of tumbling bein continuous throughout the rocess from t e time of immersion un-. til the excess coating has been removed and without the removal of the articles from the container during the steps of the process.

6. A process comprising coating articles with molten metal in a container while rotating about its axis disposed at an oblique angle to tumble the articles about in the metaland removing the excess metal while rotating the container about its axis disposed at a different angle and simultaneously therewith tumbling the articles about.

7. A process comprising the steps of subjecting articles to be coated and held in a container to a coating material which is liquid in a heated state while the container is rotated at a predetermined speed about its axis disposed at an oblique angle and then rotating the container about a substantially horizontal axis and at a speed sufficient to remove any excess coating material and permit the articles to change their relative positions as they rotate and to continue such rotation and change of their relative position until the coating material has cooled to a solid state.

8.'The method of coating castingscomprising the placing of the castings in a container, then submerging the container in a fluid-coating-bath, then rotating the con tainer at such speed and about such axis as to permit the castings totumble about in the container and in contact with the bath until the castings are coated, then removing the container and castings therein from the bath and rotating the container and castings simultaneously and without relative movement of the castings and container to remove the'excess metal.

9. The method of. coating articles with ing metal, then rotating the container and articles while submerged until the articles are of the same temperature as the bath, then removing the still rotating container and the articles from the bath and subjecting the container andarticles therein alternately to different speeds, one at which the relative position of. the articles is changed and another at which excess metal is thrown off the articles by centrifugal force. 7

10. The process of coating articles with a metal coating comprising the steps of tumbling the articles about loosely in a container submerged in a bath of the coating metal and rotating aboutan axis disposed at an angle other than vertical, then removing the container with the articles therein from the bath and removing the excess coating metal by tumbling the articles about p loosely in the container rotating aboutan 11. The process of coating articles comprising applying to the articles a fluid coating of metal in excess of that finally re uired, then rotating a container in which he articles are placed about an axis other thanand at alternate speeds which will permit the articles to move relative to each other at one-speed and will throw olf surplus metal by centrifugal force at another speed.

12. The method of coating articles comprising the placing of the articles in a convertical and while the coating is'still fluid 13. The process of coating articles with i metal comprising rotating the articles, the

coating metal in a fluid state. and a container posed at an angle other than horizontal and removing the excess metal from the articles while rotating the container about it's'axis disposed at a horizontal axis.

14. The method of coating articles comprising the steps of placing the articles in a container, immersin the container and the articles in a bath of coating material, then rotating the container and articles therein at such speed and about such axis that the articles will be alternately raised and droppedrelative to each other and to the con tainer asthe container rotates, then removing the containerand articles from the bath and rotating at such speed that the surplus 15. The process of coating castings with v molten metal comprising tumbling the cash ings about loosely and relatively to each other in a rotating chamber containing a molten coating metal until the castings are of the same temperature as the coating metal,- then removing the excess molten metal from the chamber and then rotating the chamber at a speed to create a centrifugal force sufiicient to remove the excess coating fromthecastings.

In testimony whereofI aflix my signature.

PATRICK J. KELLEY. 

